Shocking Discoveries
by Suzurin
Summary: LuNa One day, Luffy finds out 2 shocking things about Nami. One of them causes the gang to go looking for Arlong, in search of answers, but... Will Nami get there on time before it's too late for her? Or will she lose to the voice? Cursing, rated T
1. Finding it Out

**AN: One thing that always bugged me was that in the beginning, you see them see each other through a curtain of bubbles. Nami has a pretty good memory, so wouldn't she remember that? Maybe it's just me, but it always kinda bugged me. You really have to wonder what Eiichiro Oda was thinking, though, since he put that scene only in the anime and not the manga.**

**Disclaimer: All of the characters in this belong to Eiichiro Oda… If it belonged to me, Nami would be falling in love with Luffy right about now…**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Finding it Out**

Nami opened the door and sighed happily as she felt the gentle breeze on her face. It was another great day, and they'd had nothing but great weather ever since the Skypiea and escaping-the-stronghold incidents. Nami suspected that it had something to do with the new god, but kept that to herself.

She went over to the ship's railing and sat down on it. She had been daydreaming a lot more recently, and somehow her captain's face would pop up at least once… usually after Arlong's face appeared.

She was still so grateful, but didn't know how to repay him, so acted normally as to not attract attention… Although, the orange-haired navigator suspected that the archaeologist already knew. Sometimes when she looked at Robin, Robin would have that all-knowing look, and would smile before taking a sip of her coffee.

Suddenly, Nami was knocked out of her daydreams, as well as off the ship, when Usopp and Chopper accidentally bumped into her during their game with Luffy. Luckily, she hooked her foot on the underside of the railing and pulled herself up easily.

Normally, Nami would yell and mangle them until they were unrecognizable, which is why the trio was surprised when she wandered off in a daze.

"You think she's sick?" Usopp whispered to Chopper.

The tiny reindeer shook his head. "I would have noticed when I bumped into her. She probably just has a lot on her mind. We should leave Nami-" He was about to say 'alone' but was too late. Luffy was already bounding off towards Nami.

Chopper shook his head and sighed. "He's in for a world of hurt…" He muttered.

**~0~**

Nami had strolled to the back of the ship, and was so out of it that she didn't know Luffy was inches away and staring at her intensely. She finally discovered her observer when she looked down at the water and saw the reflection.

"Oh… Hi Luffy," Nami said absently.

Luffy continued to stare until she began to feel uncomfortable.

"…What?" She asked, stepping away a little to regain some personal space.

"…Is there something wrong?" He finally asked.

Nami looked at him, confused, and shook her head. The relief was visible in Luffy's face and he finally directed his gaze elsewhere.

"Good. It was just… You were acting kind of weird… all spaced out," He said, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"It's nothing really! I've just been having some dreams lately, that's all!" She reassured, smiling. Luffy glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What kind of dreams?" He asked, his curiosity piqued.

Nami hesitated, but just looking at his face made her give in. "Dreams of Arlong and the… things I had to go through. Nightmares, really. But there is this one…" She trailed off, shuddering. Luffy waited until she spoke up again. "I'm in this… tube-like thing full of this strange liquid and I hear voices all around. One says 'Are you sure we should be experimenting on her?' And then I would hear Arlong's laugh… I-I think that nightmare might have been real. I think they might have… experimented on me," She finished in a hushed tone, trembling a little.

Luffy's eyes widened, and he clenched his fists.

"He… did… what?" He said through gritted teeth. Nami looked over at him and started to panic.

"Calm down Luffy! It's alright…"

"Alright? ALRIGHT?" He roared.

Luffy was now fully facing her, and some voice in the back of her head noted how fortunate it was that the wind had increased so the rest of the crew couldn't hear them.

"**He experimented on you, and hurt you, **_**my**_** navigator! How is that alright?**" He shouted.

"L-Luffy! Calm down!" This was bad, this was bad! She hadn't expected him to react like this! She knew he was protective of all of his nakama, but… Oh heck, she should've known, there was no way around it. Desperately, she placed her hands on his cheeks, staring straight into his eyes. "Luffy! It's alright. I'm alright. I'm right here, I'm alright. Arlong can't get me anymore. You took care of him, remember? Even if he came back, you would protect me, wouldn't you?"

He shut his mouth and vigorously nodded his head, causing her to retract her hands. "Of course! I won't let that bastard anywhere near you!"

She smiled warmly. "Then everything's alright."

He seemed to calm down a bit at that and returned the smile, but looked out to the sea and muttered angrily a few seconds later, "I won't let that bastard fish anywhere near you… Hurting my Nami, traumatizing my Nami, experimenting on my Nami… Calling my Nami a tool… If he ever shows his face around here again, he'll regret it, I swear."

Nami's eyes widened and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. She… She hadn't misheard him, right? He definitely kept saying 'my Nami,' right? Could he…? Luffy noticed her sudden silence and glanced at her quizzically.

"…'My Nami'?" Nami echoed.

The raven-haired captain thought about what was so strange, and blushed when he realized it. "Uhhhh… I-I meant to say our! Really, I did! I just, uh, used the wrong word!" He stuttered.

He knew that Nami wouldn't believe him, no matter how much he hoped she would, but he avoided eye contact and kept his mouth shut. "Why… did you say 'my'?" She whispered, completely ignoring his last statement.

He blushed until his face was redder than his vest. "Erm…well you see… I was just-" He rambled on for a while, hoping that they would be interrupted. No such luck. Luffy sighed and knew that God was saying it was time to tell her.

"I said that because… I like you," Luffy admitted, looking her straight in the eyes. Nami blushed, and suddenly seemed very interested with her shoes.

"…Why?" He looked surprised.

"Why? It's hard not to. You're kind and sweet, even if you do sometimes shout and hit us, and you care about your nakama. And… I don't want anything to happen to you," He stated.

Nami glanced up at him and back down at her shoes when she saw his famous million beli smile.

"…" Nami remained silent just long enough to make Luffy worried and bend down to see what was wrong.

In a flash, Nami took his hat, pecked him on the cheek, and was walking on the rail a few yards away from him, wearing his straw-hat.

Luffy was frozen where he stood, but slowly brought up a hand to touch his cheek. Nami looked back at him and grinned. "I like you too." Luffy's eyes widened and he stretched one of his arms to pull himself to where she was.

"…You do?" Luffy asked, his mouth starting to curve upward. Nami nodded.

He easily lifted her off the railing down to him, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Since when?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. You've intrigued me ever since I met you." Her eyebrows furrowed. "No, wait. It was before that… at Alvida's ship, as I was escaping, a ship fell down and I saw someone… Was that you?" She asked, realization dawning on her face. A look of surprise crossed his face.

"That was you? I thought you looked familiar when I met you…" He trailed off, not really sure where to go from there.

Nami smiled warmly at him, and Luffy couldn't take it any longer. He moved his face closer to hers, not really sure what he was doing, just going by instinct… They were just a few centimeters apart, when that interruption he had been hoping for earlier arrived.

"SEA MONSTER!" Usopp shouted as a giant, green-scaled behemoth rushed out of the water to meet them.

Luffy stretched his arms to grab the horns on the monster's head, and shot out of there, leaving Nami alone on the back of the ship. Nami frowned. "Damn. So close…" She muttered before pulling out her Clima Tact and joining the battle as well.

* * *

**Well, I ended up taking OrpheumZero's advice and revising the chapters. I also have to catch up with the story 'cuz my computer crashed and I lost all the progress I made on the epilogue… I know, it sucks. Anyways, bear with me for a bit longer.**


	2. Her Fear

**AN: Thank you to the lovely people who reviewed… Some nice, some not so nice… I don't mind constructive criticism, but please, don't bash my story, or the anime. Anyways, in this chapter we expand on the experiment. Also, there's more cursing. Just thought I'd let you know. **

**Disclaimer: All the lovely characters belong to the spectacular Eiichiro Oda, and not to pathetic me.**

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**Chapter 2: Her Fear**

"Another nightmare?" Robin asked, unsurprised when Nami bolted upright in her bed for what seemed to be the fifteenth time that week. The navigator nodded; at least, the archaeologist was pretty sure that she had nodded. It was hard to tell when Nami was trembling so very fiercely. Robin went over and sat next to her. "What happened this time? This is the most terrified I've ever seen you."

Nami opened her mouth, but in an instant it snapped shut again. "Wait… open your mouth again, Miss Navigator." She refused. Unfortunately, the usually smart navigator had forgotten who she was talking to. Within a few seconds, she was pinned to the ground by thousands of hands, some of which were forcing her mouth open. "You should have just listened," Robin muttered before kneeling to look at her teeth.

"… Nami, is there something you need to tell me?"

She shook her head.

"This is just me, but I'm pretty sure your teeth are not supposed to be razor sharp… Like a merman's."

Nami froze.

"Should I get the captain?"

Violently shaking her head from side-to-side, she motioned Robin to release her. "Alright, I'll talk," Nami gave in, rubbing her jaw when she was released. Robin sat back down on the bed.

"Now spill."

"Okay…"

**~0~**

"_*huff huff* Arlong… You bastard, what the hell did you do to me?" Nami screamed at the merman. Clutching her mid-section and panting heavily, Nami shouldn't have looked that intimidating… Except for the fact that everything about her had changed._

_Her scaly skin was a dark green, making her look somewhat sickly. She glared at him with harsh red lizard eyes, and bared her new set of razor sharp-teeth at him. Webbed feet and hands replaced her usual smooth ones, and her ears curved up to form a point. The only thing that was the same about her was her dazzling orange hair, and even that was slowly turning into a pale purple._

"_Hmmm. That was not the way it should have come out. OTADA! We have work to do!" Arlong called for the scientist. A small mer-weasel came scurrying out._

"_You called, master?"_

_Arlong pointed at Nami. "You said that the transformation would be perfect. What on the Grand Line do you call that?"_

_The weasel looked at her. "What? I think she looks perfect." The merman walked over to Nami._

"_She has a tail! She wasn't supposed to have a tail!" He countered, holding up the offending appendage._

"_Well, yes, the minor details need adjusting, but other than that she looks perfect!" Otada remarked, nose twitching._

_Arlong sighed, then pulled Nami by the arm. She wrenched her limb out of his grip. "And just where the hell do you think you're taking me now, you goddamn atrocity of nature?" Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have acted like this. But this was FAR from normal._

_He grabbed her arm again, tightening his grip. "I'm going to get this fixed. Or do you like being an abomination?" Nami just glared._

_She was put back into the tube that she hated oh so much. The god-forsaken tube that had started all of this. Clicking and shuffling were the only noises in the room, and they began to form a lulling rhythm. Her eyes slowly closed and the last thing she saw before she drifted off to sleep was Arlong looking at her cautiously…_

…

_Screams… blood… flesh… 'Let me go… Let me take over!' Nami woke up quickly. 'What was that voice?' She wondered, then noticed something… There was blood all around her. White limbs floated in the blood, a severed merman head a foot away from her stared at her with white, glassy eyes. Horrified, she looked up to see a group of mermen huddling in the middle, Arlong in the front._

_The merman leader looked ecstatic as he walked over to her. "Fantastic job! Maybe the experiment wasn't an accident after all."_

"…_You mean… __**I**__… Did this?" He nodded. "But how? How could __**I**__ have-" Her question was cut off when a horrible searing pain shot through her brain, then began to spread everywhere. She screamed, clutching herself as she fell down into the blood._

"_Tsk, I knew there would be consequences. Listen Nami. As long as you never betray me, I will make sure that you don't kill anyone in the village. You don't want that, now do you?" Nami, gasping, shook her head, immediately regretting the action as the pain intensified. "We may also be able to do something about the pain. So it's in your best interest to do as I say. Now, rest…"_

**~0~**

"From then on, whenever I started to change, I got locked up, only to cause even more destruction…" Nami trailed off.

Robin watched her carefully, her body tense and ready to act if that change were to happen at that moment. "How about now? Do you feel any pain?"

The younger of the two shook her head. "No. I'm dreading it though… Each time I transform, the pain gets worse. This time… I may die."

Robin's eyes widened. "What? Is there anything we can do to stop it?"

Nami shrugged. "I don't know. I guess all I can do is hope that I survive this time." The older female stared at the other in surprise.

"Why aren't you panicking, Nami-chan? You might die!" Nami looked at Robin, shakily smiling.

"You think I'm not worried? I'm scared to death." She walked out, leaving Robin still sitting on the bed.

**~0~**

However, she didn't get far before doubling over onto the grass of the Thousand Sunny. "Shit! This is no time to be falling over…" She dragged herself over to the railing, pulling herself up slowly. However, as soon as her eye caught the sea, she stopped dead.

"So… beautiful…" She breathed, looking at it as if this was the first time she had ever seen it. To her, it was a work of art… So beautiful… So… **alluring**…

**~0~**

"Hey guys? Where's Nami?"

* * *

**Yes, I know Robin's OOC here. There's a reason for it, don't worry. Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you. They have Franky and the Thousand Sunny. Brook isn't here, however. I wasn't sure how to work him in. Maybe when I make another (as I'm sure to do) I'll put him in. As for Robin's way of addressing her... She refers to everyone by their job titles, except for Luffy, who she started calling Luffy around the Skypiea arc (though she still occasionally calls him "captain/Mr. Captain"), and Nami, who she took to calling Nami-chan. I figured it would be more natural if I progressed from job title to Nami-chan as Robin was getting more concerned and felt closer to her/less calm. Well, that's my explanation. Please review!**


	3. His Sadness

**AN: Sorry it took a while to update. I know that some of you were not happy with the cliffhanger… And I'd like to say thank you to some of the reviewers who said it was okay that they were OOC. ^_^ You all are so nice! Now, let's find out what happened to Nami! …Or will I put you on another cliff hanger? Even I don't know.**

**Oh my... This chapter is kind of short... Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I know it's shocking, but none of these characters belong to me.**

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**Chapter 3: His Sadness**

He searched desperately, doors slamming everywhere as he rushed about. Nothing here, or there, or- wait, was that a flash of orange he saw? He rushed to investigate, hope shining on his face… Only to be crushed when he realized it was only a picture. "Dammit Nami, where on the Grand Line are you…?" He whispered, clutching the photograph to his chest.

**~0~**

_Stretching, the rubber captain woke up first as always. He went outside and claimed his favorite seat, as per usual. The sea looked particularly beautiful today… But it also seemed like it was hiding something. Something important. Luffy stared at it for a bit longer before tearing his eyes away at the sound of his stomach rumbling. He crept back into the males' room, and advanced towards Sanji's hammock. He smiled mischievously._

"_SANJI WAKE UP!" He shouted as he flipped Sanji's hammock upside-down, dumping the curly-eye browed cook right onto the ground._

"_WHY YOU LITTLE-!" The entire ship was woken up to the sounds of Sanji chasing Luffy, shouting expletives every second. _

…

_Luffy whimpered as he rubbed his sore head. "Don't do that again," The cranky chef growled, slamming his leg against Luffy's head one more time for good measure. The boy grinned as he held his head. "Now what are you grinning about?" Luffy shook his head._

"_Nothing." Sanji stared at him for a minute before sighing and moving to the kitchen. Right before he opened the door, he paused._

"_Oi, can you go tell Nami-swan that breakfast is ready, seeing as she's the only one you __**didn't**__ wake up?" Luffy blinked before nodding his head. "I'd love to go get her myself, but seeing as how I'm banned from her room ever since the last time…" Once again, the captain nodded._

_Luffy left Sanji to reminisce, all the while a perverted expression spreading over the blonde's face. The captain remembered exactly what time the cook had been referring to. There had been a lot of shouting, a lot of blood, and Sanji had ended up stuck in a full-body cast for a week. It had been a terrible week for Luffy. His growling stomach could be heard from all corners of the ship. Not to mention he hadn't exactly been fond of wondering what Sanji had done to incur such wrath. _

_"I guess I shouldn't tell him that Nami likes me and not him…" Luffy muttered to himself. A smile bloomed across his face at the thought._

_He was glad that he would get a chance to talk to Nami. He hadn't talked to her since yesterday, and he had a terrible urge to see her smile. The future-Pirate-King opened the door without hesitation, a huge smile planted on his face, as per usual. "Nami! Breakfast!"_

_No response. Puzzled, he stepped further, squinting in the darkness. The beds were empty, and there was no sign of the carrot-headed navigator. He stepped out of the room and looked around. "Nami? Naaaaaaamiiiiiii?" He called. Still no response._

_Luffy went back to the kitchen. "Hey guys? Where's Nami?"_

**~0~**

Robin stared into her coffee, her face emotionless. Having been the last one to see Nami, the impact had been twice as hard. Where was she? And why now of all times, when she was the most unstable? Robin caught herself. Wait, maybe… She had gone missing **because** of the transformation.

She got up from the table, abandoning the cold cup of liquid. Nami starts to transform into a merwoman, then goes missing. She had agreed to Arlong's demands because she didn't want to hurt anyone in the village. Stopping by the railing, Robin massaged her temple, wondering what was wrong with her. Normally she was calm and collected, yet yesterday she was panic-stricken over Nami's condition, and today she couldn't figure out a problem that she should have been able to figure out in a snap.

She'd figure it out later. For now she was struggling with the last part of the puzzle. The archaeologist gazed at the sea. She noticed that something seemed strange about it, but that thought was quickly abandoned when the answer came rushing into her head. At that moment, Robin could've slapped herself for being so stupid.

With the thought implanted in her head, she began to go tell the others… when she stopped. She would have to tell them everything, especially about Nami's condition.

_Nami froze._

"_Should I get the captain?"_

_Violently shaking her head from side-to-side, she motioned Robin to release her._

At that time, Nami hadn't wanted Luffy to know. She had entrusted this knowledge to Robin, and Robin alone at that moment. Biting her lip, she hoped that Nami-chan would be able to forgive her. Right now, her safety was more important.

Robin walked out onto the deck, looking around for the crew. She spotted Luffy leaning on the railing, neck stretched out far into the distance. Scanning the sea and any nearby islands for Nami, she guessed. She gently prodded him in the side, causing his body to twitch and his neck to snap back to normal length. A hopeful expression had lit up his face until he saw it was only Robin, and she watched as it faded slightly.

She answered his unspoken question with a shake of her head: no, she had not found Nami yet. The rest of the hope in his face faded away, replaced with an unreadable expression. Her lips curved with a small, sad smile. It was painful to see him like this, devoid of the cheerfulness they all knew and loved. She knew of the feelings Luffy and Nami shared for each other. From what she had gathered from both Nami's and Luffy's abnormally happy attitudes the previous day, she assumed that they'd finally confessed. It must be very hard on the poor boy.

Robin placed her hand gently on his shoulder, drawing his attention. "Luffy, could you gather everyone here for me please? I have something I must share with you all, regarding Nami-chan." His eyes widened slightly, and she gave a small, encouraging smile. "It could help us to find her."

Not another word had to be said. The raven-haired female watched with a smile as he dashed off. The smile sank a little when he was out of sight. It could help them find her, yes… But would they find her in time?

* * *

…**And that's it! So, in this chapter Robin and Luffy shared the limelight. Although, maybe Robin got it a little more… I added a bit more to the end so it wouldn't be quite so short. Please RnR, and I'll try my best to update soon!**


	4. Their Surprise

**AN: I'm _so_ sorry that it took forever! ^_^;; But I'm happy to say that I will be able to update more frequently now, so yay for that! Oh, and to all my lovely reviewers, thank you! OrpheumZero, I know what you mean. However, all I can do is write the very best I can and be satisfied that I've done a good job! Thanks. Okay, enough of my rambling. ON WITH THE STORY! Oh urgh, I might have to put Franky in here… And I have no idea how to portray him…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece…. Plus, I'm too poor to buy it! –holds out empty wallet-**

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**Chapter 4: Their Surprise**

It felt like she was floating on air, and she gave a content sigh. _Finally, a good dream…_ She thought, not wanting to open her eyes. Unfortunately for her, she crashed into something right after she thought that. "What the hell!" She growled, rubbing her head before opening her eyes to glare at the offender.

However, instead of the wooden planks that she was expecting to see, she was greeted with pearl white sand and clear blue ocean water as far as the eye could see. _Please, please, please don't let this be true…_ She squeezed her eyes shut. Unfortunately, there was no denying it.

Nami was there in the ocean, almost fully transformed now, floating by the coral she had just run into. Her radiant orange hair flowed gently around her as she sank down to the sand floor. Tears squeezed out of her eyes, the salty liquid mixing with the sea as soon as it came out, making her wonder if she did in fact cry just then. It didn't matter. It was all over for her.

She couldn't go back to the ship, not like this. She was a monster. It was only a matter of time until her hair changed color, and when that happened, she would lose herself completely… Just like the other times. She couldn't go back after that either, for she'd be dead. Even if she survived, could they really accept her back onto the ship? Robin was sure to have told them by now. How could they accept a monster back when there's no way of knowing when she might transform again? No. She wasn't going back. She… She just couldn't.

Nami wrapped her arms around her, then threw them back, revolted, when she felt the scales of her arms and the slime of her webbed hands. The emotions welled up inside her again, and the newly-turned merwoman let herself "cry" once more, before swimming off, leaving no evidence of her having been there.

Nothing…

**~0~**

Nothing.

No screams of horror, no looks of betrayal, nobody saying that they couldn't believe that such a monster had been onboard… Just nothing. Silence rained over The Thousand Sunny as each crew member tried to make sense of what they had just heard. All except for two. The two that had already learned of this fact. Robin observed each and every crew member's reaction, while Luffy stared out at the sea, fists clenched. Nami had told him about it, and yet…

_"I think they might have… experimented on me," She finished in a hushed tone, trembling a little._

Why had she lied then? She **knew** what they had done… And she had lied right to his face. That wasn't a nightmare, that was reality. She didn't think, she knew. Why? His fist tightened.

A nervous laugh broke the silence, and all eyes turned to Usopp. "It's a joke guys! It has to be a joke! There's no way that that would be true," He said, shaking his head.

Franky sighed. "Do you really think Nico Robin would joke about something like this?" He asked, flipping his sunglasses up and crossing his arms. If it were a normal situation, someone would've added '_or joke at all?_' to his statement.

Usopp flinched and cast his gaze downward once more. There was a moment of silence before the crew members quickly turned in response to Chopper's sudden cry of "Luffy?" Indeed, he had reason to shout, as the rubber captain had rushed for the railing, and jumped over. Instantly, Robin reacted.

"_Seis Fleurs!_" She recited, crossing her arms. Six arms popped out of the side of the ship, a bit away from the water. Luffy was pinned to the ship; two hands held his ankles, two hands clutched his wrists, one on his neck, and one pushed his chest, pressing his back against the planks. However, even that was barely enough to contain the struggling Luffy. "Mr. Swordsman, could you go down and get Luffy? This is… rather difficult, to say the least," She said, betraying her calm voice by biting her lip as she tried to keep Luffy in place.

Zoro nodded and jumped over the rail. A few minutes later, the thoroughly soaked swordsman tossed a just-as-wet Luffy onto the ship. "You two had an enjoyable swim, I presume," Robin said, amused. Zoro grunted.

Luffy was trying to drag himself to the side of the ship once more, but found it increasingly hard to do so as the seawater soaking his clothes sapped away his strength. Chopper plodded over towards him. "It's no use, Luffy. You can't move. You know that as well as Robin and I do, so why did you try to jump into the sea?"

"I have… to find her," He gritted out.

"We all want to find Nami-chan. But we have to think rationally, and not just plunge on ahead." Robin spoke like herself again, much different than she had been only an hour ago. Wait. Something was nagging her in the back of her mind. She gazed out at the sea, and everything seemed normal. But that was the problem. It didn't look wrong anymore. The sound of the rustling sails filled her ears, causing her eyes to widen. "…When did the ship begin sailing again?" She asked quietly, but they all heard her clearly. They too widened their eyes in realization. Once they had heard that Nami was missing, the anchor had been put into place, in case she had somehow been tossed off the ship and was looking for them.

"TURN THE SHIP AROUND! WE NEED TO GO BACK!" Luffy roared, despite his weakened state. They nodded and started to get into position…

"Wait." The crew stopped. It was Robin that had spoken. "Perhaps… We are being guided."

"What do you mean, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, confused.

She gave them a knowing smile. "Well, let's just wait and see. I believe we will run into Nami-chan very soon this way."

The crew was at a loss. Shouldn't they listen to the captain of the ship? But Robin seemed to know something… They didn't have to worry for very long though, since their attention was drawn elsewhere. The Thousand Sunny shook once, then half of it went under. They all plunged into the sea, the Devil Fruit users sinking rapidly.

Robin's eyes opened, stinging at the sudden rush of saltwater. _Is that… a cow?_ She wondered, staring at the creature in front of her. The thing noticed her and charged, but something strong grabbed her and brought her to the surface.

"I never knew that cows could breathe underwater." Robin smiled at her rescuer.

"And I never knew that my knight in shining armor would be a cyborg."

"For a damsel in distress, you sure don't act like one," Franky replied, grinning.

"Oh, I'm sorry, should I be saying things like 'my fair prince has come to save me!' and swoon all over the place?"

"Wouldn't hurt." Robin chuckled at that.

"Oi Franky! Did you see Luffy anywhere?" Zoro shouted over to him.

The blue-haired cyborg shook his head. "But I did see a giant cow!"

"Dammit, where the hell is Luffy?" A pause. "Wait. A cow?"

**~0~**

Nami sighed. _What am I doing…? I just told myself I couldn't go back!_ Indeed, there she was, following the ship. _It's only because my treasure's on there. That's all._ She reassured herself. But she knew that was a lie. She knew it had to do with a certain rubber captain… Some shouts brought her back to reality. "What the-?" She watched as a giant cow dragged down the front part of the ship, and everyone tumbled into the water. "Is that… Mohmoo?" She asked out loud. Yes, it was Mohmoo, the cow creature that Hatchan had taken care of back in Arlong Park. "Why is Mohmoo here…?"

However, her attention was drawn elsewhere, to a sinking raven-haired boy. No one else seemed to see him except for her. _LUFFY!_ She screamed in her head, cutting through the water towards him. However, just before she could reach him, a giant horn jabbed her in the side. Nami clutched her side, glaring at Mohmoo. "You're goin' down!"

Mohmoo charged at her. Nami grabbed the horns and flipped onto its back. Her tail stiffened and she jabbed it right into the cow, causing it to cry out in pain. She attempted to take advantage of the momentary distraction by swimming under it, but Mohmoo quickly retaliated by bashing her with a flipper, knocking her far away. She held her stomach and coughed, glaring at her enemy. Mohmoo was preparing to charge her. She smirked. "You wanna mess with me? Go ahead, try it!" She bared her teeth, fists clenching and tail lashing about. Nami flicked her head to the side, moving her hair out of her field of vision, and something caught her eye.

_Luffy._

That's right. She didn't have time for this! While she was busy messing around with this cow, he could already be...

Mohmoo was suddenly in front of her. Without thinking, she dropped down and bashed her leg into its stomach. It flew out of the water, much to the crew's surprise, and Nami jumped up after it. She drew her fist back and punched it with as much strength as she could muster. Mohmoo went flying, just as it did at Arlong Park. Nami slipped back into the water before any of them saw her.

Without any interruptions this time, she reached Luffy and hurried to bring him to the surface. It took a bit of pounding on his chest, but he hacked up the water, coughing and gasping for air. Nami's shoulders relaxed and her eyes filled with tears as she hugged him. "Thank God…" Luffy's eyes opened slightly.

"Na…mi…?" She froze. "Nami… it's you… right?" She couldn't pull away, or he'd see her monstrous form… But she couldn't stay either!

"Luffy… Yeah. It's me. Please, stop looking for me. I'm okay. I don't- I don't want to hurt you guys." Luffy weakly shook his head.

"That's… impossible, Nami… You're my nakama… and… I…" His eyelids drooped, and he fell asleep once more. She watched him, and somewhere in the back of her head she wondered what he had meant to say. But for now, she had more urgent things to do. The navigator hesitated in throwing him back onto the ship. She didn't want to leave them… Not now, not ever.

"Maybe… I should go visit Arlong…" She muttered to herself, a plan forming in her head. Yes, maybe he would know what to do… But was he even still alive? It was worth a shot. Nami tossed the rubber boy back onboard. She sat there, listening to her nakama yell and shout, taking in all of their voices. _I already miss their voices… And here I was thinking I could go forever without seeing them!_ She laughed at herself, before swimming off to go find Arlong.

**~0~**

"Oi, Luffy, you okay?" Luffy's eyes opened, seeing all his nakama (except Nami) bent over him.

He sat up, rubbing his head. "Yeah, I think so…" _Was that a dream?_

Chopper sighed in relief. "Good. I was scared. First we couldn't find you, then the cow — I think he said his name was Mohmoo? — goes flying, and then you suddenly get tossed onboard… This has all been odd."

The captain's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean you guys didn't get me up here?"

"No… Come to think of it, how **did** you get onboard? Do you remember?" Usopp asked.

"It wasn't a dream…" He muttered. A smile came across his face, the first since before Nami went missing. "Let's go!" He shouted, jumping onto Sunny's head to stand between two spikes of the mane.

"Where are we going, captain?" Robin asked, smiling as well. His smile really was contagious.

"We're going to see Arlong. That's where she'll be," He announced.

"How do you know?" Sanji asked, searching in his pocket for another cigarette. Luffy just grinned.

Franky put his arms together. "So Sis went to get revenge on him, one-on-one, eh? That's SUPA!" He paused, then put his arms down. "But, you never told me why she was with him anyways… Why was she there?"

Chopper raised his hand. "I don't know either."

Robin shook her head. "Nor do I. Nami-chan only told me as much as I told you. I have to say, I was rather confused," She confessed.

Putting his hands on Franky's and Chopper's shoulders, Usopp sighed. "I have much to tell you…"

The voices behind him faded away as Luffy stared out at the setting sun. _Nami…_ He thought.

_I'm coming to get you!_

* * *

…**That's it. Once again, I'm so sorry I took forever. _ I really will try to update more frequently. So, what'd you guys think? Yeah, I know, I got a little off-track with the Franky and Robin bit… But I couldn't resist putting it in. I hope you guys like this chapter. I certainly like it. Somehow, I managed to use Franky… Right? Well, I'll go get started on the next chapter! Please review!**


	5. Trouble Everywhere

**AN: Well, here's another one. I know it took forever, but I was going through a bit of a writer's block. It's all better now though. So hurrah for that! Oh, and my account stopped having problems! Wheeeee!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own One Piece or any of the characters… ;~;**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Trouble Everywhere**

Darkness… Pain… Screams… _Where_… _Where am I?_

You are safe.

_What? Who are you?_

…That is not important. Go back to sleep.

She sneered. _As if I'd go to sleep in front of a stranger. Tell me who you are!_

Go to sleep. I will take over.

… _You… I know you… You're-!_

LET ME TAKE OVER!

_NO! NOT AGAIN! GET OUT OF ME!_

Nami woke with a sudden jerk. "What… was that?"

Her hand came up to touch her forehead, but she immediately reeled back at the wetness. The female's eyes widened. Blood. "No…" She gasped, looking up. A mangled body lay before her, its eyes glazed but face frozen into an expression of horror. Spread underneath it was a pool of blood. "NO…" Memories of the murder spilled into her mind, as if someone had flipped a switch. Nami fell to her knees, clutching her head.

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**"

...

She heard people coming. She knew she should leave. Every part of her was screaming for her to get going. Why? She had just killed someone. It didn't matter if they caught her. She deserved it.

Someone's life had been ended because of her. They couldn't see the next day, or their family ever again… All because of her.

"I should end it…" She whispered, eyes blank as she lay there against the tree. Her legs spread in front of her, her arms lying uselessly on the ground, palms up—with one glance you could tell all hope was gone from her. You might also notice her vibrant orange hair taking on a lavender tint. Nami got up and walked over to the body, picking up the pistol he had brought, which she could only assume was for hunting. She smiled bitterly at the gun. "You could have lived if you had used this…"

Tears rolled down her face as she slowly brought up the gun to her head, pressing the barrel against her temple.

"_SAY YOU WANT TO LIVE!"_

She gasped.

"_I WANT TO LIVE! TAKE ME OUT TO THE SEA WITH YOU!"_

Robin… Robin had left them to sacrifice her life, even though she wanted to live… Even though she had wanted to stay with them…

Nami fell to her knees once more, covering her mouth as the tears unrelentingly flowed. The gun crashed to the ground, forgotten. _I'm the same. I tried to kill myself to protect them… no matter how much I wanted to stay._

_But… there is one thing that's different._

She heard the people getting closer. She stood up, wiping away her tears with her scaly hand. _Robin went through so much without anyone there for her!_ She took off running, just in time as the villagers came crashing through the trees, and gasped in shock at the sight before them.

_I'm sorry Robin. I'm sorry everyone. I'm being a wimp, trying to take the easy way out. I will see this through to the end. And then… I'll come back to you._ The ocean came into sight. She was almost there…

A gunshot rang out. A searing pain ran through her as the metal buried itself into her stomach. She cried out.

**~0~**

A shiver went down Luffy's spine. "Is something the matter?" The archaeologist asked, an eyebrow rose.

"No… just a bad feeling is all," He answered, shaking his head.

"Well, I could certainly see where you might get that…" Robin said, turning her head to look at the sight before her. Luffy laughed and nodded.

The cyborg and the tiny reindeer were bawling their eyes out while they hugged each other. "I-I can't believe that Sis had to go though so much…! UWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! She is so very SUPA!" He struck his (in)famous pose, still crying.

Chopper fell onto the grass, Franky having left go of him. "N-Nami! F-For their sake…!" He started sobbing again, his sentences not making sense. Usopp rubbed the back of his head, and leaned over to Robin.

"How much longer do you think they'll be like this?" He whispered. She just smiled. Luffy shivered again.

"Hey guys? Do any of you think it's cold?" They shook their heads, confused, except for Robin.

"Still shivering, Luffy?" The black-haired female asked. Luffy nodded. "Hmmm…" The small smile faded from her face as she turned her head to stare in a seemingly random direction. _… I wonder… if perhaps Nami-chan is in danger and is causing these shivers._ She didn't voice it though. The rubber man had finally somewhat gotten back to his old self, and she wasn't going to make him worry incessantly about a completely theoretical thought.

Sanji burst out of the kitchen, an extremely angry expression on his face. "Luffy…" He seethed. Luffy looked at him and took a step back at his expression. "Strangely, all the food we have stored is gone… ANY IDEA WHERE IT MIGHT HAVE GONE?" The cook's voice dripped with venom, his eyes becoming slits as he stalked closer to the captain.

A sweat-drop rolled down the side of Luffy's face. _Crap…_

Usopp cringed away as Sanji lay a beating on Luffy, when he noticed something on the horizon. "Oi! There's an island!"

**~0~**

She clumsily stumbled over to the water, vision failing, everything blurring together… But one thing was clear to her.

_Blood._

_**Dying…**_

She knew that if she did let the… thing take over, then she would recover quickly. But that was never gonna happen. Not on her watch. She was going to see this to the end, dammit. Nami tripped over a seashell and fell down onto the rough sand, the fingers of her outstretched hands only an inch away from the water. The tide receded, making the distance even greater. She groaned. God was just being mean to her today.

Her ears twitched, picking up the sound of footsteps. The villagers. But there was something else… Oh no. She knew that bawling. How'd they find her? Maybe it was just a coincidence.

A light bulb went off in her head. Or maybe this was her lucky break. She just had to get into the clinic in the ship, fix herself up, and she could be on her way!

Summoning all of her strength, she pushed herself up off the ground. Yup. There was the Thousand Sunny. Where to hide… She spotted a nearby cove and stowed away in it as the ship proceeded. The navigator crouched there, listening as the two sets of footsteps got closer to each other, and… Bingo.

"Hey, you pirates!"

"Huh?"

"I bet you guys are the ones who did that to Johnny! MONSTERS!"

"Wha-? What are you talking about? We just got here-"

"DON'T LIE TO US! WE FOLLOWED YOU HERE! DIE!"

"Uh-oh!"

Nami slipped away from the fighting, knowing that her time was limited. There was a 50-50 chance of them coming back to the ship and leaving the island completely, or scoping out the island like they usually did. The navigator made a mental note to remember this island when she was drawing maps again…

She stopped. That optimistic thinking… There was no need to ask where that came from. It was perfectly clear to her that the straw-hatted captain of hers had made her start thinking like this. It didn't bother her. Actually, it was kind of nice to know. It almost took her mind away from her gunshot wound. Almost.

Getting back to the task at hand, the clinic door came into sight, and she quietly slipped in. _Now, where'd Chopper put those bandages…?_

**~0~**

"Hmm, I wonder what's going on out there… Maybe they found some treasure!" Chopper plodded along the hallway of the ship, humming to himself. He was, once again, assigned to the guarding of the ship. The reindeer didn't mind though. It felt safe inside the Thousand Sunny…

That thought came to a halt when he heard a sudden crash. It came from the adjacent hallway. He peeked in, in his own unique way that no one yet had bothered to tell him was completely the wrong way. One of the doors was open. He gulped and thought about running and telling someone… Before remembering that that was his clinic. _No…_

"RRAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Chopper transformed into his hulking form and broke down the door in a moment of rage… and stared at what he saw.

* * *

**Whee! I actually finished it! =_=;; Finally. That took me forever. Well, I hope you like it! I'll try to update soon! …And get back into my original writing habit! I dunno, it just doesn't seem like I'm writing like I usually do… Oh well. So they told Nami's story to the crew that didn't know it in the anime (did they tell it to them in the manga? I haven't really been reading it lately), but it was so anticlimactic. :/ No one reacted strongly at all. I had such high hopes. Sigh. Please RnR~  
**


	6. Too Close

**I know you guys were getting impatient, and I'm sorry. I think I'm just losing my writing touch, so it's taking me longer. Anyhoo, time to get started!**

**Disclaimer: *beep* This is an automated message. I do not own One Piece or anything that goes with it. Goodbye. *beep***

* * *

**Chapter 6: Too Close**

_Here they are!_

She pulled it down, only to have everything on the shelf fall all around her. _Great… At least no one was around to hear that._ Her mer-ear twitched. _Wha-?_

"RRAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

_CRAP-!_

The door split into several pieces under the intruder's force. Nami tensed. What should she do? She couldn't call for help, she couldn't beat them off with this wound… The sawdust cleared, and she slapped her hand against her forehead. _Thank you God, that's exactly what I needed…_ The navigator paused. _Actually… it is exactly what I need!_

…

The little reindeer couldn't wrap his head around what he was looking at. It was…. A creature. He couldn't bring himself to call it a monster, even though he could tell by the look in its eyes that it thought it was. He could tell that it didn't want to exist without it saying a single word to him.

Chopper scanned the creature. He assumed it was a female because of its, um, "assets," but things like that really depended on the species. His eyes stopped where it was clutching its side. "Are you… alright?" He asked hesitantly.

"I need a doctor… One of the people shot me, just because I look like this. I hate humans!" It spoke with a female voice (_so it is a female_, Chopper thought briefly), and tears began to well up in her eyes.

He walked over to her and placed his hoof on her hand. "No, don't think like that… I used to be like that, but I met so many wonderful people. I have nakama who accept me for who I am! I know you can find some people like that," He stated with a smile.

She smiled back down at him. "You're very nice." He blushed and began to sway back and forth, with that strange expression he always had when someone complimented him.

"That doesn't make me happy at all, idiot!" The female creature giggled slightly.

…

_Same old Chopper…_ Talking with her nakama filled her with both happiness, and fear. What if he found out who she was? What if her other nakama came back and saw her? ….What if her transformation became complete? She didn't want to hurt them, not like this.

She pulled at a piece of her hair and examined it, a new wave of icy fear washing over her as she did so. It was almost completely purple now. Her time was short, and every second counted. "Hey, reindeer-kun… Do you know someone who can take this bullet out?" She was glad that she was good at acting in times like these. He stopped swaying and pulled on his serious face.

"Let me have a look at that… I'm a doctor," He explained at her (pretend) confused face. Nami smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Lucky!"

**~0~**

"Geez… these people sure have a messed up way of greeting people," Usopp complained. The villagers were spread out all around them, unconscious of course. One got up and rushed Robin from behind, but he was swiftly knocked out by the cyborg. Apparently, he had adopted the role of protecting Robin while she used her power. Not that the raven-haired female was complaining.

"Makes you wonder if the rest of the island is going to be the same," Robin agreed, lowering her arms. Usopp twitched.

"Oh no, my I-can't-get-on-this-island disease is acting up! You go on without me!" Usopp began a hasty retreat, only to be yanked back by Sanji. "Aw, man…"

Zoro reached down and picked up his captain's hat. "So, I'm guessing you're still planning to explore the island," He stated, tossing the hat to his captain. Luffy didn't say anything; he just grinned and put his beloved treasure back on his head. "Well, while I'm all for fighting and stuff, I'd rather stay back on the ship and sleep." He gave a yawn, eyes half-lidded.

The cook's gaze snapped over to him. "Aah? Are you saying sleep is more important than finding Nami-san, shitty seaweed-head?"

The swordsman scowled. "Just because I'm not mourning over her like a lost puppy doesn't mean I'm not worried about her, shitty love cook!"

"What'd you say?"

"You heard me!"

A hand sprouted out of each of their backs and bashed their heads together. Everyone looked at Robin. She shrugged and said, "Nami-chan's not here," as if that explained it all. Which it did, actually, as they all just nodded while the two fight-prone nakama rubbed their sore heads, glaring at each other.

Luffy laughed. "Sure, Zoro. The rest of us are gonna look around. There might be some really cool stuff on this island!" His eyes began to sparkle just thinking about it. _And maybe some clues about Nami,_ He added silently. "Let's go!"

Sanji sent another death glare Zoro's way before gleefully following Robin, dragging Usopp behind him despite the sharpshooter's protests. The swordsman just rolled his eyes and climbed back onboard the ship.

**~0~**

Nami gazed fondly down at the reindeer as he tended to her wound. It was so nice to be near one of her nakama and be able to talk to them again. She inwardly sighed, as she knew she could not be around for much longer… _Why?_ She blinked, surprised at the sudden question.

_Suddenly she saw Luffy standing there in front of her, and when she raised her hands to cover her face, they were human hands, not monster hands. "What the…?" She surveyed the surroundings and saw that she was on a beach that seemed to go on for miles. "Oh, it's a dream… Must've fallen asleep," She said, disappointed._

"_Why can't you be around them?" The dream Luffy asked again, drawing her attention._

"_I'm a monster."_

"_Says who?"_

"…_Everyone."_

"_Even your nakama?"_

_She was taken aback by that. "I don't know, probably."_

"_How do you know?"_

"_Well, I-"_

"_If they're really your nakama, shouldn't they accept you no matter what you are?"_

"…_Not if it puts them in danger… People don't work like that! They'd never accept me!"_

"_Oh really? You think that little of your nakama? What about me? Am I likely to do that?" He crossed his arms._

"_You're not real! Shut up! They can't be near me!" She pressed her hands against her ears, not wanting to hear anymore._

"_They can help you. Plus, they're worried about you, you're a wreck without them… No one's benefitting from this. Just tell them."_

_The dream world began to disintegrate, and she watched with a conflicted expression as it all turned to black…_

"There. It's done." Her eyes snapped open. Chopper looked up at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you'd fallen asleep."

"Oh, it's fine." She blinked a couple of times, trying to get her eyes adjusted to the light, and looked down at the reindeer. The expression he wore made her raise an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You sound like…" Her eyes widened. _Shoot! I forgot to change my voice!_

Nami cleared her throat. "Oh, is this better? I'm always a little strange after I wake up," She laughed nervously, hoping it would work. She could see his various conflicting emotions playing across his face, before he warily nodded. "So you're done already? You sure are fast…" She pretended to inspect his handiwork, even though she knew full well that Chopper was one of the best there was.

He began rummaging around his doctor's bag, and she was mildly surprised that he hadn't reacted to the compliment, before he took out various bottles. Ah. He was in full-on doctor mode. "You'll need to apply this daily, and take this if it starts to really hurt, and this is for…" His voice faded as she looked down at her hands, thinking.

…_You know what? He was right. What's the point of going through all of this? I'll tell them._** "**Hey, Chopper…" She looked up… and saw a ripped-open Chopper, organs and bones exposed, eyes lifeless and looking at the ceiling. His expression was that of a terrified one. Her hand came up and wiped the side of her mouth, and she was horrified to see that her hands were coated with blood. _NO!_ Nami opened her mouth, but instead of a scream, a laugh came out. "Finally, I got control."

_No… I was too late…_ She couldn't scream. She couldn't cry. She couldn't stop her own body from killing. She could only watch as it killed everyone and everything she ever cared about…

"Hello? You there?" Her eyes snapped open again. A small hoof was being waved in front of her face, and she recoiled at its closeness. Millions of thoughts rushed through her head as she processed what happened, until her eyes rested on Chopper. An **alive** Chopper. "Are you okay? You were about to say something when you started staring off into space…"

She leapt over and hugged him, startling him and knocking over several boxes in the process. _Thank God… Thank God he's alive!_ Hot tears slowly made their way down her cheeks. _…I can't tell him. That… That vision… It was a warning. My transformation's almost complete. I have no doubt that they would accept me now…_ She smiled softly, tightening her grip around Chopper just a bit. _…but I can't afford to be near them. I don't want to hurt them… My precious nakama…_

It was strange to think of how much she had changed… how much she treasured each and every crew member. She was still the same Nami, and she always would be. It was the same for all of them, actually. Luffy had changed all of them, although Nami highly doubted that he was aware that he was changing them slowly each time he did something. That rubber captain… That goofy, annoying, lovable captain…

The navigator sighed and released the reindeer as she realized her thoughts were focusing on Luffy once more. What she **didn't** realize was that a small piece of paper had fallen out of the small satchel on her hip as she stood up. The tiny doctor noticed, but his attention was diverted as his patient began to speak. "I just wanted to say thank you for treating me. It's good to know that there are nice people in the world after all."

"Oh, u-um, you're welcome." Chopper blushed, unsure of what to say. She smiled at him and bowed slightly.

"Thank you very much. I hope we may meet again… under different circumstances next time," She added, grinning. She waved to him and he dazedly waved back, before she ran out of the room.

Chopper sat there, hoof still in the air, until he noticed the paper again. Picking it up, he noticed the paper was different than any paper he'd ever seen. It was most likely waterproof, seeing as his patient had travelled by swimming in the sea. The writing on the paper was hurried, and there were several scribbles of where they had crossed out words. He was surprised to see only three words on the paper, despite the amount of scribbles surrounding it. _Cross Sword Island_. A destination, perhaps? Something caught his eye…

There were dark red spots speckled along the bottom of the paper.

_Blood._

**~0~**

_I suppose that's one thing that'll never change: Zoro and his napping,_ Nami mused, spotting his sleeping form a few feet from the doorway in which she was standing in. _It should be easy enough to get away… and even if it's not, I'm not letting** anything** stop me now. Not after I finally know where Arlong is… Not after I'm so close!_ She unconsciously put her hand on the satchel.

Placing one foot carefully in front of the other, she made her way over to the rail. She knew he was normally a heavy sleeper, but he was also very good at pretending to sleep, so she didn't want to take any chances of drawing his attention. The medicine bottles clinked softly in her satchel with each movement she made. Climbing on top of the rail, she took one last look over her shoulder at the ship, and saw with horror that Zoro was waking up.

She slipped off the rail just as he fully woke up, but the splash it made caused him to run over to the side. He saw a flash of purple and red as she shot off into the distance. It was too late to go chase after it, he knew… but he had a feeling he missed a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do something. The swordsman didn't know what, though…

**~0~**

"My. He certainly is dead, isn't he?" The rest of the group were rather disturbed to hear the amused tone in her voice. They had come across a mangled body in the woods on their way back to the ship. "I would guess that this person is that 'Johnny' that those people were upset about."

"I can see why they went kind of insane… Who wouldn't, if you saw someone you knew like this?" Franky reasoned, flipping his sunglasses back down and crossing his arms. He grimaced slightly as his gaze wandered back to the body. The sunglasses helped a little, but not as much as he would have liked.

There was silence for a bit. Usopp was standing over by a tree, back turned on the scene as he tried to keep his lunch down, and Sanji was a few feet away, keeping a lookout position in case the villagers came back for more. Luffy was standing near the body, eyes shaded by his hat, appearing to be in deep thought. "So what could have done this?" He spoke up, drawing their attentions.

Robin tilted her head, bringing a hand up to her cheek as she thought. "Well, it seems like it was something-"

"….eyyyyyyy….. HEEEEEEEEYYYY…. HEEEYYY!" She stopped, surprised by the shouts.

"Mr. Doctor?" She questioned as he came into view. Chopper stopped running, panting for breath as he looked up at the raven-haired beauty.

"Robin… what did… Nami say she… looked like when she changed?" He managed to ask in between breaths. At her startled look, he elaborated. "I think I met her, and got a clue of where to go, if it was her." They stared at him, eyes wide… except for Luffy.

Luffy looked into the distance, fists clenched, expression unreadable… but his eyes were filled with relief, joy, and a little of something else. _It'll all be over soon… _A small smile started on his face, growing bigger with each second. _I'll get her back soon!_

But he had no idea that there was still something big in store for them…

**~0~**

_Buruburuburuburu… buruburuburuburu… buruburu-_

_Click._

"Yes?"

"_Arlong-sama, she came… Nami came… she nearly killed me! And now she's going to you!_"

A laugh. "I see… Let's see how much she's grown since I last saw her."

"_But-_"

_Click._

"Well well… I told you, Nami, you'd always have to come back to me in the end. Only this time, you won't be 'Nami' anymore."

* * *

…**Dun dun dunnn~! Anyways, hooray! I got my love for writing back! I'll make sure to write the next chapter faster next time, okay? I wasn't sure how to end this chapter at first, and then that came to me. Hooray for inspiration! Alright, well, please review! I'll be eagerly awaiting them!**


	7. Losing Control

**:D ….That's all I have to say! Oh, but thank you for not killing me for taking forever. Between school and major writer's block… you get the idea.**

***Shin means:** **heart, mind, core; spirit, vitality; inner strength, marrow**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill… One Piece and all the characters in it belong to Eiichiro Oda. =3 Thank you for thinking of this wonderful anime + manga, Oda-san! Oh, but um, Shina belongs to me.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Losing Control**

"…_Cut the crap, Arlong. I know you didn't come down here to have a little chat, and I ain't a patient girl."_

"_I'm not sure you should be talking like that, what with you behind bars and all."_

_The girl let out a growl, standing and moving into the light. Her hair ended about an inch above her shoulder with jagged, uneven ends, suggesting that she had cut it off herself. She impatiently brushed away a few amethyst locks away from her furious ruby eyes. The Marines outfit she was wearing was splattered with blood, but Arlong knew that neither the blood nor the outfit were her own._

"_We both know that these bars could never stand in the way of me killing you," She hissed._

"_Possibly. But I know you won't, since I can get you out of here, Shina." She paused, then shook her head._

"_You're lying. There's no way. Sure, I can break the bars, but the only way I'm getting out of here is if I'm dead."_

_The merman snarled. "I have my ways. You'll even get to go out and kill again, with a slight condition." She grinned and put her hand out through the bars._

"_Whatever you say. I haven't killed in weeks." He grabbed her hand and firmly shook it._

"_Then it's a deal."_

…

"_Who's she?" Shina asked, eyeing the tube in the middle of the room. There was an orange-haired female, around 14 or so, floating in the green liquid, clothed in a simple gown and in a deep sleep._

_Arlong looked up from the papers he held in his hand, momentarily stopping his conversation with the weasel scientist. "Her name is Nami. She's our cartographer," He explained briefly._

"_Huh… Never thought you'd finally have a human nakama. I'm not even one of your nakama."_

"_Nakama? No, more like our tool."_

"_Tool? Dude, you're sick." The girl gave a wolfish grin, looking back at Nami. "Huh. Sort of pretty, but doesn't look like she's all that much."_

"_Ah, but that's where you're wrong. She's amazing! We'll be able to map out all of the seas, and the world will be mine. Nothing will get in my way!" He exclaimed, laughing evilly. She turned back to him, monitoring him cautiously._

"_What does any of that have to do with me…?" Shina questioned warily. He sighed._

"_Yes, well, as much of a genius as she is, we need her to be more obedient, more powerful, and above all, a mercreature."_

_She took a step back, glancing at the girl. "But I'm not a mercreature, or obedient to you."_

_The weasel stepped forward, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Yes, well, we have merman DNA, and simple science can help to change her to be more subservient. The only thing we needed was power," He elucidated, his voice rather obnoxious and shrill. "It won't hurt you, we're just going to copy your abilities, and you're free to go—you just need to step in the pod for a few minutes," He assured when she took a couple more steps toward the exit. _

_The assassin hesitated, glancing at the pod. The pod itself was adjacent to the tube, a pipe protruding from the top of it and led to a strange machine operated by a lever. It all looked rather sturdy and safe enough. She nodded. "Sure; I owe you a favor after all." She stepped into the container. The door slammed shut behind her, causing her to jump slightly. Muffled voices came from outside of the pod, but she only caught some of the phrases._

"…_calculations all correct? …won't be like the last one…"_

"_This is the only… body goes in there…"_

"_Body? Guys, what body? Guys?" She called, slamming her fist against the metal wall. No reply. A distinct 'cha-chunk!' sound came—the female knew it was the sound of the lever being pulled down._

_A fine mist began to flood the air around her. "He- he said it wouldn't hurt. I should be okay, right?" She murmured nervously. A curious aroma wafted around her nose. 'Smells like… fruit?'_

_It felt like something was tugging on her limbs, and she found it mildly annoying. Her joints began to throb as the pulling amplified; the pain gradually growing worse and worse as she stood there. She fell to her knees as her legs gave out. The pirate fell to the floor, wheezing. Her mind screamed as the invisible force crushed her._

_It gave one last, painful tug… and then it stopped. Everything stopped. She cracked an eye open. The mist had thickened to a fog, hiding everything beyond it._

_Cold enveloped her. She sat up and tried to warm herself through friction as she rubbed her hands together… before she realized her hands has gone through each other. She didn't need to look down to see her body lying on the floor, motionless. It sat there in her peripherals, the greatest wrong that could have been done to her in this unforgiving world._

_Shina watched blearily as the scenery moved around her. 'Guess I'm going to the afterlife.' But as it turned green all around her, she realized she was wrong._

_Oh so very wrong._

'_No…' A scream didn't come out of her mouth, even though she opened it. Her hands couldn't grab anything to slow her process, even as she tried desperately. If you have ever wondered what it would be like if you were a ghost and you were sucked into someone, imagine you were sinking into a viscous fluid as it crushes the parts of you that it holds, causing you to try and take impossible breaths, and an icy feeling rushes through you as you realize that you will be trapped for all eternity._

_Her hand was all that remained, and that too slipped through the skin of Nami, never to be seen again._

_*beep* "MERGING PROCESS COMPLETED."_

_Arlong's cruel laughter echoed throughout the lab._

**~0~**_  
_

The navigator sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What the hell kinda dream was that?"

"Dream? Hah. More like reality." She froze, finally taking in her surroundings… well, if that's what you can call complete and utter darkness. A figure stood a few feet in front of her, oddly visible despite the darkness. "But man, do I wish that was a dream."

"You… You're from–"

The person bowed, lilac-colored hair falling in front of their face. "Shina Redowin at your service. Welcome to my little corner of your mind," She proclaimed, flourishing her arms around her.

Nami stared at her. Shina sighed, dropping her arms back at her sides. "Sorry. Should have eased you into it. It's just, being in someone's mind for 4 years and watching them do all these things that you know could've been done better kinda gets to you after a while. Guess that's why I always go a little crazy when I get loose," She admitted, giving a sheepish grin.

Something clicked, and the cartographer stirred out of her mini-trance. In an instant, she'd slammed her fist into the older female's face, sending her flying. "You mean… it was _**you**_ all these times? It was you that killed them, that keeps trying to take over?" The very pissed off Nami shouted.

"Ow… Okay, yeah, the first time you transformed, I killed all those mermen. But can you blame me? I was real pissed at Arlong for what he did. Unfortunately, when he put some of the mermen's shin* into us, it made it so that we couldn't hurt him. Anyways, as I spent more time inside your head, I sort of mellowed out. The rest of the times that people were killed, it was all the merman's doing." Shina jerked her thumb over her shoulder, and as if on cue a growling sound rang out.

"So you've been in my head… watching me… all this time?" The younger pirate repeated slowly.

"Mmmhmm. Seen you do all sorts of stupid things for that shitty Arlong. Have to tell ya though, I was really… happy when that rubber guy came for ya. Being here's really changed me. At first I thought you were an annoying whiny brat," A sweat drop rolled down her face as her host body gave her a death glare, "but you grew on me."

"Watching you guys' crazy adventures always blew me away, and I started to think you guys were my nakama. However, I realized that none of you had any idea I was there. That nearly crushed me. Somehow, that weird captain of yours cheered me up." At the confused look Shina received, she elaborated, "You developed an inner Luffy. Having him in here helped me to not be lonely, though he's real irritating at times. I don't know why you love him…"

That startled the orange-haired girl. _I… love him? She's in my mind, so I guess she'd know best… Wait, no, stop that!_ "H-How did Arlong do any of this, anyways?"

The ex-pirate smirked. "I knew you'd change the subject… I overheard Arlong and that idiot scientist talking about it. Apparently they got their hands on a Devil Fruit. Specifically, the Shin-Shin* fruit." A glowing ball appeared between them and it began to carve itself into a tad-pole shaped fruit with swirls imprinted all over it. "That's what it looks like. The fruit gives its user the power to separate from your body. It's almost like being a ghost, except that you bring everything that ever made you you, your abilities, your weaknesses, etc., with you."

"They made you inhale it, then when you activated your ability, they forced you into my body," Nami concluded. Shina nodded. "What am I supposed to–"

The roar of the ocean filled her ears, causing her to flinch slightly. She looked to the purple-haired girl for help, and saw she was drifting away. Reaching out her hand desperately, she tried to call out. The girl responded, Nami just barely hearing what she said. "Just remem… don't break machine… find me!"

Her vision blurred. When she reopened her eyes, the sea was laid out in front of her, replacing the void of her mind. The mystified girl reached up and gently prodded her head with her digits, grimacing as she saw the monstrous claws again. _No gaping hole… That's good, I guess._

A sudden huge splash of water startled her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out a cannonball plunging into the depths of the ocean. _Crap._ Without hesitation, she propelled herself away from that spot, avoiding the next cannonball by just a hair. She dared a glance behind her, and the sight took her breath away.

It was a wall. A **huge** wall. This thing was an enormous piece of steel resting on rocks, reinforced with cannons, guard towers that contained snipers, and large 10 foot spikes protruding from the bottom of the wall. Nami could climb up the rocks, sure, but there was no way she could get through that… **thing**. She'd have to find another way around…

"Hold fire!" A stern voice rang throughout the air. A blue blob, which she assumed was a merman's head, poked out from the guard tower, and even from where she was she could see the grin growing on his face. "She's our VIP. Come in, why don't you?" Loud creaking sounds came from the wall, and the transformed girl was surprised to see the wall split in half and swiveling.

Sighing slightly, she pulled herself up onto the rocks. _Of course it's a gate. He loves flashy things._

"Welcome Nami. I've been dying to see you again."

She grit out his name. "Arlong."

It would all be over soon. She could be back with them, sailing once more, laughing…

She smelled blood.

No, she **felt **it.

There was something slimy in her hand. She looked down… and screamed. There was a heart, beating ever so ferociously in her hand. It was still attached to the merman, the poor, unsuspecting merman that had walked past her to go to Arlong's side. His eyes were dead, his face frozen in a look of fear. Her nails squeezed into the heart and punctured it, the blood showering her hand.

The body fell to the ground, her hand having no use of it anymore. Nami watched her hand, her body shaking with terror. It wasn't her hand. Not anymore.

Her eyes, slowly, rolled over to Arlong. He was smiling, unperturbed.

"Arlong," Her voice quivered, "if you don't stop this now, I swear to God, you'll be the next one this hand kills." The merman made a "tsk" sound and waved his finger back and forth.

"You honestly think I didn't think of that? That's why I put in the merman's soul. He'd sooner die than allow himself to kill me." Her memory flickered back to what Shina said, and she knew it was true. _Shina, I'm sorry… Looks like this is the end._ Arlong's gaze focused on a point behind her. "Ah… and here comes the rest of the cast. Just in time to see the lead heroine of this little story complete her transformation."

Dread filled her body. The navigator slowly swivled around, and she saw the familiar face of The Thousand Sunny approaching.

_No…_ The icy feeling that claimed her hand crawled upwards.

_No…!_ It reached her neck. The ship came even closer. Arlong laughed.

_NO!_

* * *

**So… it was near Christmas when I started, and it's past New Years Eve when I finish. Meh. So please don't kill me! I kinda like this chapter, but I can see where people wouldn't… Personally, I like Shina. XD Although, that's because I was just saying what I felt. Please review~  
**


	8. Free

**^_^;; Thank you for those who have stuck with me this long… Shouldn't be much longer now! And yes, I love the cliffies. D: Oh my God, the Thousand Sunny is the weirdest ship in the world… Gaaahh…**

**Disclaimer: Everything in One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda! Only Shina belongs to me! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha! …Oh.**

***Nagahana-kun = Long nose-kun**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Free**

_He must… not be hurt._

_KILL._

_They must… stay alive._

_KILL._

_I will not… let YOU… take over._

_KILL THEM ALL._

_They will survive._

_KILL EVERY ONE._

_I will win against you._

_LEAVE ARLONG._

_I will not lose! Not to you!_

_MY MASTER ARLONG._

_I can't let a monster like you run free!_

-...-

The breeze gently stirred Luffy's hair, removing it from his sleeping face and allowing the sun to shine down upon it. He cracked an eye open, then immediately shut it when the sun burned his retinas. Begrudgingly, he sat up and stretched. He groped around for his hat, refusing to open his eyes until his hat was upon his head, providing some shade. Only then did he see the island that they were rapidly approaching.

"Ara, you finally woke up. We thought we were going to have to throw you into the sea to wake you up if you slept much longer…" Luffy looked over at Robin, grinning slightly despite how confused he felt. She walked up next to him and leaned on the railing. "You came up here after lunch and fell asleep. We decided to let you rest up in case of a fight," She explained, adding silently '_That, and this is the first time you've gotten a proper sleep since Nami-chan left…_'

He nodded slightly, then looked back at the island. His eyes grew wide and began to sparkle. "Whoa! Look at those huge doors! It's like a fort!" He yelled excitedly, jumping onto part of Sunny's mane and admiring the large steel doors.

The heels of Usopp's boots clacked as he landed on the deck. Robin turned and smiled at him. "Ah, Nagahana-kun*. What did you see up there?" She inquired, the smile never leaving her face even as she observed Usopp's pale face and shaking legs.

He gulped. "T-There was a lot of mermen… and, and there was one in the middle that looked like Nami, the way you guys described… but…" He trailed off, his mouth dry to the point of a desert. Luffy perked up, staring at Usopp with inexorable apprehension. The sniper quavered under the harsh stares of his crewmates. "…b-b-but there was blood all over her arm, and a d-dead body next to her… and… it didn't seem like Nami at all…"

There was silence all around as they digested this new bit of information. A chuckle emanated from Luffy, causing his nakama to send him startled looks. He folded his arms behind his head. "So? It's still Nami inside," He reminded, grinning. "And even though Nami's scary at times and beats us up, she still cares." Even with the unnecessary remarks of her scary personality, the message was clear.

Robin's smile grew warm as she turned to her captain. "You sound very fond of our navigator." He nodded. Her eyes dimmed slightly. "But how fond?" Luffy looked startled for a second, but his face took a solemn expression.

"I…"

"WE'RE HERE!" _Splash._

Franky walked over after dropping the anchors in the water, rolling a kink out of his shoulder. "Oi, let's get on the island already…" He trailed off as he was met with a pale-faced Usopp, a blushing Luffy, and a slightly irritated Robin. He blinked. "I'm missing something here, I just know it… but that's not the point! Let's go!"

The cyborg hopped off the side onto dry land, the embarrassed rubber boy following quickly behind him. The archaeologist sighed slightly, but shrugged and hopped off herself. Usopp looked around the deck, empty since the cook, swordsman and doctor had jumped off as well.

He sighed, and then joined them.

Two rows of mermen stretched in front of them, seemingly as a welcoming committee. Warily, the crew walked past them as one gave a motion to follow. They passed the pool of blood, the body having already been dragged off, and Usopp and Chopper shuddered slightly but kept their pace.

There sat, at the end of the procession, a simple throne of stone, containing one of their hated enemies. The Strawhat pirates stopped a good distance away.

Arlong's lips stretched widely across his razor sharp teeth as he smiled in greeting. "I welcome you, Strawhat crew, to my humble abode." The irony of that statement was thick in the air as several mermen grunted behind them as they tried to close the massive doors. Littered all throughout the rocky walls of this enclosure were small caves, set up so that a merman may sit there and snipe down intruders if necessary.

The structure standing in the middle of all this looked very similar to the one back at Cocoyashi village, only this one was gaudier with bright blues, greens, purples, an occasional red and surprisingly a large amount of gold colors splashed onto the walls. One would assume they were trying to go with an "underwater buried treasure" type theme, but failed miserably. Sickeningly, it also shone in the sunlight, nearly blinding them. Sea green just shouldn't shine… it went against all that was right.

While the others were noting the décor, Zoro was examining the perimeter for any other exits. He came up with none; apparently the only way out was through the large doors, and they had just been shut.

They were effectively trapped.

There was one good thing about this situation though: there were no mermen in the sniping holes. That made things easier. The swordsman had no doubt they could have taken them even with the snipers, but all it took was for one of those bastards to get lucky, and they would be down one member, possibly forever.

'_It's always like that,_' He thought grimly.

Arlong drew their attention back to him. "So, tell me, what brings you here?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

Luffy pulled his hat down, closer to his eyes. "Where's Nami?"

"Is it customary for you people to answer a question with a question? No matter. I haven't seen Nami ever since the Cocoyashi incident." They all knew that couldn't possibly be true, but it was also obvious that Arlong was completely serious. How could that be? "I have, however, seen my dear Shina, who I haven't seen in years upon years. Shina, get out here."

A figure stepped out, and for a while none of the Strawhat crew could recognize this harsh, green figure that glared at them with cold red eyes. The truth came at them all too fast, even knocking the wind out of Usopp as he slumped over, petrified over this… thing. Usopp and Chopper were, of course, the first ones to realize, since they had seen this form of Nami, but… The cruel, menacing aura she was emanating… It couldn't possibly be her. The face, the hair, the eyes, they were all familiar, but alien at the same time.

"Nami…?" Luffy breathed, trying to regain composure. He'd seen weird, unexplainable things-that's a requirement of the Grand Line-but…

"Like I said, this isn't Nami, it's Shina. You seem to be very confused. Maybe you should knock some sense into them, Shina." Arlong cut in, gesturing to the assembled pirates.

Shina glared at Arlong, trembling. Blood trickled out of her enclosed fists. It almost seemed like she was resisting him. "Shina." Arlong's voice ran cold and commanding as he talked to her, but it didn't seem like he was talking to 'Shina'. "I order you to kill them."

The female let out a slight gasp and relaxed slightly, before dashing over to them with incredible speed. They barely had any time to react and dodge her razor sharp claws. She stood in the middle as they circled her, her tail lashing around in irritation while they took offensive stances. There was that hesitation again, the reluctance in her form as she struggled to stay still. It looked to be an enormous effort.

Arlong sighed slightly and signaled to the others, causing the mermen to pounce upon the Strawhats and attack. They didn't attack Luffy.

No, Luffy was Shina's prey, they knew, seeing how she tackled him with renewed force once she had been signaled. The captain got up quickly, just in time to catch her arm, the claws a mere inch from his stomach. She caught his arm when he tried to punch her, and they were locked in a grappling match as a result.

Then something unexpected happened: she began to cry. Luffy unintentionally froze, giving her the opportunity to pin him to the ground. Shina punched him endlessly as the tears kept coming, but each punch softened until she was effectively just tapping his face. He stared up at her in surprise. "Luffy…" The voice came out raspy, and much more like an older, more mature woman, as opposed to the voice Nami produced. "Help her." The ruby eyes which only a minute ago held malice now shone with pleading.

"Nami…?" Luffy reached out carefully, making contact with her cheek for a second, before the girl was forced to climb off and hide behind him at the sound of Arlong growling. The rubber boy stood slowly, adorning his hat once more and keeping Shina behind him. "You know how this will end. Why don't you just give up now?" Luffy suggested, looking upon the merman as his other nakama came to join him. Arlong bore his teeth in anger and began to stand and Luffy formed a fist

Shina gasped slightly and held onto the back of his vest. "We… don't have time for this! If we don't… hurry now… you'll never get her back…" She panted out, clutching her head as the pain began to come. Luffy's brows furrowed. He really wanted to kick Arlong's ass for all that he'd done, but Nami was the number one priority. He looked over at his crew.

"Chopper, Robin. Come with me. The rest of you…" He grinned. "I trust you with the responsibility of teaching him a lesson."

Sanji, Zoro and Franky all smiled back, planning to pull out all the stops on this wretched bastard, while Usopp gulped and began to form a plan of attack. Shina led the other group around the side of the building into a smaller hallway, smiling as she heard the sounds of Arlong's pain.

-...-

The place they were led into was a far cry from the gaudy palace from earlier. This room instead held many gadgets and machines that filled the room to the brim. In the midst of it all was a large tube with a pod directly next to it. Shina glanced disdainfully at it, but sighed in resignation as she pushed a button that made the glass retreat into the metal, and she stepped into the middle of the tube.

She pointed at a door. "In that room you'll find a body - a woman. That'll be me. You need to put me in that pod. Once we're safely inside, you need to push that lever up, NOT DOWN. Alright? Up. That should be the way to separate me from Nami." She shivered slightly. "Things may… not go as planned. Or they could, I don't know. All I know is… be prepared for anything." She nodded to Robin who pushed the same button as before, causing the glass to shoot up and form the tube once more.

Luffy carefully carried in the body from the next room and propped her up in the pod. She looked… strangely healthy, though she shouldn't have, considering this body wasn't inhabited for a while. He shrugged. Maybe Arlong took care of her? Anything could have happened, knowing that weird merman.

Shina signaled to Chopper, closing her eyes as the little reindeer pushed the lever upwards. The mist filled the tube rather than the pod this time, and the girl shuddered.

Then it all went wrong.

She screamed in pain, clutching her head and dragging her nails across the glass, her body convulsing. The word "error" ran across the screen as Robin hurriedly deciphered the information it was showing her. "Shina's been in Nami-chan's body too long. Apparently the Shin-Shin ability can't tell the difference between them. It's trying to take them both out, but Nami-chan doesn't have it. It can't take a non-ability owner out of the body. At this rate… I don't know what will happen."

It was all so confusing, the information whirling around everywhere as it tried to sort everything out. "So…" Luffy tried to understand. "They started to become the same?"

Robin nodded. "Basically. Shina's been in there too long, she began to lose her sense of self. Without any DNA or anything that could've differentiated herself from Nami-chan, all she had to distinguish herself was her personality and her thoughts, which eventually wore down. It's bound to happen if you stay in someone's head that you start to think like them, become like them."

"We just need to show the difference right? Maybe…" Chopper thought of something. "Do something that would definitely make each of them react differently?" Robin smiled and nodded at him. "What could we do? We could wave a Beli in front of her, or a tangerine, or…" Chopper rambled on, thinking of feeble ideas.

Inspiration dawned on Luffy and he ran up to the tube. "Nami!" Shina/Nami struggled to crack open an eye, looking at him with an expression of indescribable pain.

"I love you."

Her eyes widened. The convulsions stopped, and the error message stopped running across the screen. Green light flickered inside the tube as another machine began to run. Robin and Chopper saw something begin to surface from Nami's skin, looking almost like a ghost.

Luffy wasn't watching. He was staring into her eyes as the ruby color began to turn back into the chocolate color that Nami had. "I love you." He repeated, over and over. Her hand came up to touch the glass between them, but she didn't notice that her hand was no longer green or that it had short fingernails once more. The male before her held her undivided attention.

The ghost-like being slid through the wall, into the lifeless body, and a 'ding' sounded from the computer. "SEPARATING PROCESS COMPLETE."

Robin, who shall hold the job of pressing buttons from this moment forth, did what her job entailed and pressed the button before her once more. As the glass disappeared back into the metal on the floor, Nami fell into Luffy's arms. Feeling the need to give them some privacy, the archaeologist and doctor went to check on the pod inhabitant.

Nami stared up at him. "Is… is it really over? I'm not…" Luffy gave her a soft smile.

"You're free."

Those two words that she never thought she'd hear. A rush of so many feelings ran through her, making her feel as if she was floating on air. In the face of such an indescribable rush, she did the only thing she could do: she fainted. Luffy held the girl in his arms for a bit longer, before he picked her up princess style.

He turned to greet Shina, who stumbled out of the pod rather dizzily. "Hold on, let me get my balance here…" She bent over, exhausted.

Chopper fussed this way and that over her. "Until we can be sure that your body is properly nourished and cared for, you'll need to stay with us. We're not sure if they've been taking care of you, so I'll need to run a few tests to see where you are…" Shina looked at him and smiled.

"Thanks, little doc. That sounds good." She turned to Robin and Luffy. "I have a lot to talk about, and a lot to answer, I'm sure. But…" Shina grinned and stuck out her hand. "First thing's first. My name is Shina Redowin. It's nice to meet you."

They could hear the rest of the Strawhats approaching. The time had come. It was all over, save for a few ends to be tied up.

But the most important thing was…

Luffy leaned down and whispered in Nami's ear.

"_Welcome home._"

* * *

…**:) There's one more chapter. Really an epilogue, you know? I'm very happy right now.**


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